Being a senior in college is terrifying for a number of reasons. The days of being a student where professors will help you through the difficult tasks of college will soon be over. You will have to learn to fend for yourself. You must compete against people from all over the world when applying for jobs. You have to figure out how to present yourself to potential employers, and one slip up will mean you do not get the job. All of these things can be really scary for me so I decided to meet with John White, Gannon’s assistant director of Career Education and Employment.
As a future teacher, I have discussed the topic of future employment with professors. Toward the beginning of my career as an education major, I was told that there is no way I would be hired as a teacher when I began as a field student. Even though I improved myself as a teacher, and even received good review from the same supervisor who told me that, this is something I always hung onto when considering future employment. This is when I decided it would be a great idea to meet with John White.
We discussed the idea of school culture (which I have discussed with education professors before this). John White asked me what my personal values are and what my goals are for the future. I said that I want to teach, but also find a way to incorporate my theater experience into education as well. We eventually figured out that I would want to teach middle (and possibly high) school students, direct theater, and possibly put together a theater workshop for children on the autism spectrum.
We figured out exactly what my goal should be. Now I needed to figure out how to get there. In terms of accepting and applying for positions, he said it would best to think about whether the job would get me to my end goal.
One helpful piece of advise he gave me was to research descriptions of the jobs that would get me to the end goal. That way, I should see if I am qualified (or will be once I graduate) enough for the job. If I am not qualified, I should figure out what extra qualifications I would need so I can eventually apply and get the job. He said to start searching as early as possible so that I can prepare for job applications and interviews.
This helped steer me in the right direction of what to look for when applying for jobs. We also discussed my weaknesses and how to deal with them. We have figured out that I am not a naturally organized person, but it is something I learned how to do with practice.
After meeting with John White, I felt a lot more prepared. I am an adult. I can do this.